RPG Fan just announced that a Wild Arms game is in development for the PSP.  No surprise that its for the PSP as it is a first party series for Sony (the only one I've played so far that I like).  Since Sony has been jerks when it comes to this series and forcing people like Squenix, Agetec and XSeed localize their last three games, I'm now on the bandwagon to find a company that will be nice enough to localize this PSP title.  Come on, my PSP needs some legal loving.  I'm sure it'll get a 7 something from Gamespot for being a "typical turn-based Japanese RPG" but who cares?!  It's Wild Arms!  Bring it over!

This brings me to my newest rant: JRPG's.  Lots of sites like IGN and Gamespot rag on this genre it seems.  Unless it's a stellar AAA franchise like Final Fantasy, JRPG's don't seem to get great reviews.  If a game is bad, that's one thing and it should be noted when the story, gameplay and mechanic don't add up.  However when the game in question is being criticized for being what it is, a turn based JRPG I feel like the reviewer is wrongly criticizing a game. 

Luckilly I'm glad to see high profile people in the video game industry agreeing with me:  The nice people at Penny Arcade commented on such recent odacities.   I was glad to read that they share the sentiment.  Why criticize something for being what it is?  That would be like me criticizing Madden 07 for being a sports game, or Saints Row for being a GTA clone.  Maybe for a GTA clone it's not that bad of a game.  I wouldn't know because I haven't played it and I'm not really into the "Urban-themed Gansta' Games."

I have been trying to expand my horizons as a gamer, the result being that my fiancee and I actually want to get an XBox 360 and eventually a gaming centric PC (which shocked the hell out of my parents).  So I've been trying to keep an open mind for genres that aren't my thing.  Why can't these reviewers have the same courtesy?

This whole thing also makes me worried for the genre of "old school turn-based JRPG's"  I hear crap from people like Yoichi Wada and the recent moves the FF series has made and I wonder if the turn based genre will be around in 15 years.  This isn't to say that I'm not willing to try new things, but developers, please don't stop making these old school games, if only to satisfy the niche market that loves them.  People like me.  Then again as long as Squenix doesn't screw too much with Dragon Quest, we should be fine.